Figurehead of Aylesbury Vale arts scene to be honoured with exhibition

Malcolm Thackwray

Published:13:02Monday 17 July 2017

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Queens Park Arts Centre in Aylesbury is set to celebrate its founder Malcolm Thackwray this summer, with a retrospective exhibition of his life and work due to run during July and August.

Tasked with setting up Queens Park in the late 70s, Malcolm served as its Artistic Director from when it opened in 1980 through to 1997, when the Centre’s core funding was withdrawn by Bucks County Council and he was forced to take early retirement.

Malcolm sadly passed away in October 2015 following a long illness.

To mark 20 years since he left the Centre for pastures new, a special exhibition featuring a wealth of artwork and archive material is to be unveiled this month.

“It’s only right and proper that, 20 years after he departed Queens Park to start a new life in Somerset, we celebrate Malcolm’s memory with this special exhibition,” said the centre’s current artistic director Sarah Lewis.

“Malcolm was a prolific artist and his work spans a great many disciplines, including painting and drawing, sculpture, carpentry and calligraphy.”

The exhibition has been curated by Malcolm’s widow Helen, who has selected a wide range of his work encompassing different stages of his life as an artist and maker. Many items will be available to purchase whilst others have been kindly loaned for the exhibition by Malcolm’s family.

Dario Knight, the centre’s theatre manager and archivist said: “Malcolm was a multi-talented man and this celebratory exhibition demonstrates just how far his talents reached.

“Whilst Queens Park’s continued presence in Aylesbury serves as a fitting tribute to the hard work he gave supporting arts in our community, this retrospective gives a fantastic insight into his individual talents.”

The exhibition will be on display from 17th July until 11th August.

A special viewing will be held on Sunday 23rd July at 2pm for anyone who knew Malcolm.